Luminescence
by DragonChaos
Summary: A girl with the power to control light becomes a member of the X-Men... 6th chapter has been posted!! thanx for all the feedback people! keep it coming!
1. The Rescue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except the characters Lumina and Tory. The story's mine, but the X-Men characters I don't own. 

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Chapter One: The Rescue

Feet pounded down the empty street, splashing through puddles that had been left by the recent rainstorm and running through the areas lit by the street lamps and back into the shadows. She was being chased, running as fast as she could go, her adrenaline pumping. She knew that if they caught her, it would be the end. It was a whole mob of about twenty people carrying flashlights and signs that were anti-mutant affiliated. Desperate and out of breath, she turned down into a dark alley, hoping that they would not see her turn and just run past. They stopped outside of the alley just as she hid herself behind some garbage cans. 

"Where did she go?" One of the sillhouettes demanded. Some others started talking amongst themselves deciding what to do. 

"All right, we'll spread out and search for her." One with a flashlight said. "About four or five of you go to the park, four of you come with me and we'll go down this street, and a couple'll stay here in case the mutant comes back. And be careful; she extremely dangerous, so be ready for anything." They began to fan out and search for her, and only two stayed where they were outside the alley. _I can wait them out. _She thought to herself. _I hope. _

"Hey, man, what about the alley?" One of the two shined his flashlight down into the darkness. "She could be hiding down there." 

"You're right," the second man said. "Go check it out." 

"No way, man," the first one refused. "You saw what she did to that other guy…" "She's probably not even down there you know. Geez, you're such a wuss." 

"Hey, I'm just trying to stay alive here. If you think that you're so tough, why don't you do it?" 

"Fine, whatever." He waved his hand at the first man as he started for the alley. She had to stifle a gasp to keep from giving herself away. _Oh, please…Please…_ He started looking behind all of the boxes and crates and was nearing her hiding place. She watched him closely, coiled and ready to run if he got any closer. After he finished looking through some of the cardboard boxes, he shrugged his shoulders and turned around to walk away. She breathed a silent sigh of relief when she was blinded by a flashlight. Her heart started pounding with fear. "I foun…!" The man tried to yell for his buddy but was cut off by a hand covering his mouth. She just stared in horror as the figure that had the man in his grasp stabbed his victim with three blades that protruded from his knuckled and then retracted into his skin. The man dropped without a sound. She looked over to see where the other man was and he was lying on the ground, his diaphragm surrounded by a small dark pool. She looked up into the face of the man who had saved her. He was average heighth, dark eyes and dark hair that was styled to look like devil's horns on the top of his head. 

"Are you okay?" He asked in a deep voice, so deep it was almost a growl. He held out his hand which she looked at in fear. "Don't worry," he said. "I won't hurt you." She reached up slowly and took his hand. He yanked her up and dusted himself off. "Running around on rooves is not exactly very clean." He said with a half smile. "Where did you learn to run like that, kid?" 

"I learned the hard way." She looked around nervously, checking for the rest of the mob. "Thank you, but I have to go…" She turned towards the street. 

"Hey, not so fast." He said as he grabbed her arm. "I'll give ya a lift wherever you need to go." He jabbed his thumb down into the depths of the alleyway. 

"Thanks, but no thanks, I don't accept rides from strange men who possess retractable claws." He smiled at the comment.

"Smart girl. Well, at least tell me what your name is and why those assholes were chasing you." 

"My name's Lumina. This is why they were following me." She held out her hand, palm facing upward, and formed a small ball of light by gathering tiny particles of energy. The man's eyes widened. 

"Is it safe to touch?" She was a little shocked that he didn't even cringe slightly away. No one had ever asked that kind of question before. He looked at her, and for the first time she saw his face in the light. He was handsome, but a little rough looking due to his sideburns and scruffy hair. He also needed to shave. He looked almost like an animal, but he wasn't. However, his eyes were what surprised her. They looked haunted, and tired, but also they were soft and caring. "Yes, you can touch it. It's only is dangerous if I gather the right energy." He stuck out a finger and poked at it, making it sizzle a little. "It's warm." He murmered more to himself than to her. The energy ball started to surround his finger and little particles of light started flowing from his arm into the ball. Startled, he pulled his hand away. "What was that?" The energy ball dissappeared, and she lowered her hand. 

"It draws energy from everything, even living things, though it doesn't hurt anything that it takes the energy from." She explained. He nodded, understanding. He sniffed twice and looked up suddenly, out towards the street. 

"We better get outta here, kid." He said, grabbing her wrist. "They're coming back." They ran, or rather, he pulled her further into the alley, and stopped at the dead end. No way out. "Climb on my back." He ordered. 

"But…" 

"There she is!" A flashlight beam lit up the area around them.

"No time to argue!" The man growled as he yanked her behind him. She finally consented and climbed onto his back. She heard his claws pop out and he seemed to punch the wall, sticking his claws into the wall and pulling himself up. He scaled the brick in no time, even with her on his back, and they soon reached the top. She held on for dear life as he jumped onto a ladder that was at least six feet away. He retracted his claws, climbed the ladder, and proceeded to run up the stairs of a fire escape to the roof. He was sucking wind at this point, but he didn't stop. He ran across the roof and jumped over to another one. Lumina closed her eyes as he jumped off the roof into another alley, extending his claws in midair. She opened her eyes when they came to a sudden halt. He had jammed his claws into the side of the building and had slid down a little ways. He jumped off and land on the ground almost in perfect silence. The alley that they had jumped into didn't have a wall and lead to another street on the other side. He sprinted down the alley and ran onto the street, turning left and running towards a motorcycle. When they finally reached the bike, he let go of her legs and she slid off. Without waiting to catch his breath, he climbed on the bike and dragged her with him, seating her behind him. "Hold on!" He said as he handed her the helmet. He brought the cycle to life with a roar, and he kicked it into gear. Just as they were turning around, Lumina looked behind her to see the mob just now running around the corner. Then everything was a blur around them as the bike surged forward into the abyss of the dark streets. 


	2. The X-Men

ch.2 lumina ****

Chapter Two: The X-Men

They arrived at the gates of a huge mansion. By the gates was a large plaque that read "Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted." Much to Lumina's surprise, the man was able to open the gates by way of retinal scan and saying his name, Logan. 

"Well, kid," the man named Logan said as the gates silently opened. "You ready to meet some interesting people?" 

"Are they all like you?" she asked hesitantly. He grinned at her question.

"In a way, I guess." He shrugged. "Not exactly, no, but they'll be interested in meeting you." He got back on the bike and restarted it. They drove up the long driveway and drew closer to the expansive mansion. In the dark, it appeared to loom over them. "What do you think?" Logan asked over his shoulder.

"It's big." Was her only response. She felt rather than heard him chuckle, due to the muffling of the helmet she was wearing. He drove the bike into a garage and parked it. He helped her off the bike and took the helmet from her. "Now what?" she asked as she looked around at all the nice cars.

"First, we introduce you to Chuck, but he probably already knows that you're here." He started heading for the door that led into the mansion. 

"How does he…"

"Come on, you'll see." He cut her off. She followed him and they walked down some well-decorated hallways. "I didn't really like this place when I first came here, but it kinda grew on me."

"Hmm.." She said as she looked at some painting hanging on the wall. Over the group of paintings was a handwritten sign that read "Art Class Artwork." She scrunched her nose and realized that this mansion was actually the school, (the sign at the gates gave it away), but there was something odd about it, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Logan, won't this 'Chuck' be asleep?"

"Nah," he waved his hand in the air, dismissing the thought. "Even if he was, he would want to wake up." They walked past some stairs and stopped in front of a set of beautifully carved wooden double doors. "This is it." Logan turned the knobs of both doors and opened them simultaneously. When they opened, Lumina looked up and saw a bald man sitting behind a desk. When he rolled around the desk in a wheelchair, Lumina realized he didn't have any choice but to sit. "Professor, this is Lumina." Logan introduced her.

"Hello, Lumina," the professor said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"How do you…" Lumina was taken aback. The professor held out some newspaper articles from a few days before.

"There are some interesting articles in there about a young woman causing some problems in her campus science lab." The professor looked at her knowingly.

"I didn't do that on purpose…"

"I know, Lumina…We haven't been formally introduced. My name's Professor Charles Xavier. I run this school for the gifted."

"You mean for mutants like me."

"Like us." Logan spoke up from his seat he had taken in a plush chair by the door.

"This place is a safe-haven for people with extraordinary powers. We help them learn to cope with their abilities and even learn to use them for the good of mankind."

"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but what has this got to do with me?"

"To be perfectly honest, we think that you could be a useful member to our team. You see, we've been following your movements for a while, but we never could quite figure out what your powers were. The newspapers and our scouts never actually saw you in action."

"Until I did, anyway." Logan quipped.

"May I see a demonstration?"

"Okay…I suppose." Lumina held out her hand, forming the tiny ball of light once more.

"Is it destructive?" Xavier inquired.

"Not unless I mean it to be." She wrinkled her nose in thought. "It's hard to explain…"

"You don't have to explain tonight." Xavier cut her off. "Logan, why don't you see her to a room, and tomorrow morning go with her to get any of her belongings that might've been left behind in your hasty escape." The burly man nodded, and motioned for her to go with him out of the room.

"'Night, Chuck." Logan said as he walked out of the room.

"Goodnight, Logan, and goodnight, Lumina. Make yourself at home and stay as long as you like."

"Goodnight." Lumina said simply as she followed Logan out the door. She continued to follow him up the stairs they had past earlier and down a some hallways. He stopped in front of door number 121. "Is this it?"

"Yup." Logan opened the door and walked inside. "Looks like you have the place to yourself, but that'll probably change really soon."

"Hm…"

"Something wrong?" Logan cocked his head slightly.

"No, it's just I don't understand something." Lumina said as she looked around the room. "What did the professor mean by me being a 'useful member of the team?'"

"Well, to tell you the truth, the school is kinda just a cover up."

"For?"

"For an elite mutant group called the 'X-Men.'"

"I've heard of you in the tabloids." Lumina started examining the knick-knacks on the ornate dresser. "They say that you all fight for good, but are slandered because you're not 'normal.'"

"Yeah, that's about the size of it."

"And you guys think I can help."

"Yup." Logan sighed and made a move to leave the room. "Look, I'll stop by tomorrow to take you back to…wherever it is that you live, and we'll get your stuff. However, if you decide you don't wanna do this, you don't have to. Just sleep on it." He reached the door and stopped. He turned around to face her and looked her straight in the eye. "You can meet some of the guys tomorrow at breakfast. Starts at nine. Be ready to go by then, okay?"

"Alright." She said.

"See you in the morning." He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. Lumina heaved a tired sigh and sat down on the plush bed.

__

An important member of the team, huh? I guess I'll find out more tomorrow at breakfast. She took off her shoes and her jean jacket. She looked at herself in the mirror and realized how grimy she felt. She went to the bathroom connected to her room and searched for a hairbrush. After rummaging around in the drawers for a few minutes, she found almost everything she could possibly need, including the hairbrush. As she she brushed her hair, she hummed the lullaby that her mother used to sing to her before she died, singing the words silently in her head. Her hair was a silky dark brown, with lighter brown and blonde streaks in it. Her eyes were a deep emerald green, though they were dulled a little due to her lack of sleep. She finished brushing her hair and got into bed. Within seconds of her head hitting the down pillow, she was alseep, still singing the lullaby in her head, and into her dreams.  



	3. "The Guys"

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Chapter Three: "The Guys"

The next morning, Lumina awoke in a room she didn't recognize. Then she recalled the events of the night before. She got out of bed and examined her appearance in the full-length mirror that was standing by her dresser. Her hair was sticking out in various places, giving her the frizzy look. She sighed when she looked closely at her eyes and realized she had dark circles underneath them. _I have to meet some important people today and this is how I look. Like crap._ She turned with some determination towards the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Fifteen minutes later, as soon as she got out of the shower, she heard a knocking at her door. Wrapping her hair up in one towel and draping the other around her body, she answered the door. There stood Logan, looking very much the same as he had the night before.

"Good morning," he said. "I see you're already up." She saw him give her a once over in her towel, even though she was trying desperately to hide herself behind the door.

"I'll be down in a minute." She said simply.

"Do you know where the kitchen is?" He asked pointively.

"Well, no…"

"It's settled. I wait to walk you down there." He said with a half smile.

"You don't have to do that. Really."

"You're wasting time. Hurry up before the breakfast gets cold and everyone leaves." He grabbed the doorknob and shut it for her, so she could change. "I'll wait out here." He said, his voice muffled a little. She hurriedly dressed herself in the clothes she had been wearing the night before, seeing as she hadn't quite been expecting to be staying somewhere else and hadn't packed any other clothes. She was used to it though. She hoped her jeans and her tank top weren't so dirty that they were offending to anyone. She pulled the towel off of her head and shook out her hair a little. She then formed a rather large ball of energy, which she then made surround her head. Her hair was dry in seconds. She flung open the door to a surprised Logan.

"I'm ready." She said, trying to hide her enthusiasm in meeting others like her. Since she was seventeen, she had known she was different and thought that she was all alone in her struggles, but finally, five years later, she was meeting people who could understand her, accept her, and maybe even call her a friend. "Here we go…" she muttered under her breath.

"Don't worry, kid, everything'll be fine." Logan reassured her. She looked up at him and realized he must always look scruffy. "Hey, if they can at least tolerate me, they're gonna love you." He said as they headed down the stairs. They walked into a large formal dining room, and then into the kitchen. There was a huge table, with about twenty people sitting around it. "Good morning, guys." Almost everyone either raised a hand in salutations or mumbled something in between bites. "This is Lumina." Once again, same reaction. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some of 'em and we'll squeeze you in somewhere." They walked behind some interesting looking characters.

"You can sit here." A large blue man scooted over a little bit, allowing her to wriggle between him and a young woman with red hair. Lumina gave him a look of appreciation, and sat down. The woman with red hair turned to her.

"Hello, Lumina," she said politely. "Since Logan was rude and didn't introduce us, my name's Jean." Lumina saw her glance over at Logan, who had taken his seat across from them. He just smiled at her.

"I knew you could handle it yourself, Red." He said before he started to wolf down his breakfast of eggs and pancakes. The blue man turned to Lumina and gave her a toothy smile.

"I hope you slept well." He said. Lumina was surprised that he sounded so elegant and polite. It completely contrasted what she had expected him to sound like. She expected something more like 'ooga booga.'

"I did, thank you." She replied with a smile.

"Little Boy Blue here is Hank." Logan said. "The one sitting next to me on my right is Cyke, or Scott as everyone else calls him…" Logan went on to introduce everyone, Nightcrawler, Kitty, Storm, Gambit, Rogue, and various other mutants. Logan went on to explain that most of the group were new additions, and had only been there for, at the most, six months. Professor Xavier rolled into the room and took a spot at the head of the table.

"Good morning, everyone." He said to the crowd. Everyone stopped talking and ate more quietly, waiting for Xavier's announcement. "We have a newcomer among us. Her name's Lumina, and I'm sure that you've already met her. She hasn't decided just yet what she wants to do, but she'll know by the end of today. Logan is going to go with her to either collect her belongings or to simply take her home safely. The rest of the day will be normal; training, schooling, and relaxation. Have a good day." He turned his wheelchair to leave, but stopped midway and turned his head back towards the crowd. "Oh, and Lumina? Can I see you and Logan in my office before you leave? I have something for you." With that, he turned and wheeled out the same way he had entered.

Lumina, having her conversation with the radiant Jean Grey and finishing her filling meal, went with Logan to the professor's office.

"Logan, I want to be extra careful in the part of town you're going to." Xavier advised. "The anti-mutant factions have been gaining power in that section."

"Gotcha." Logan said.

"And Lumina," the professor turned to her. "I didn't mean to put any pressure on you. I just want you to make up your own mind. Here, take this." He handed her a small, black cube. "This contains vast information about mutants. Their origin, where this cube came from, and even some interesting tidbits on various powers, such as telepathy." She took the cube from him and looked at it. It was polished and smooth. It glinted in the light as she examined it more closely.

"How does it work?" She asked.

"Just give it a command, but not here." He said. "I want you to look at it when you reach your home."

"Okay." She said. "But, why are you giving me this?"

"You have an interesting power, and it's described in that cube." He said as he rolled around behind his desk. "I wish you two a safe journey." Logan nudged her with his elbow and they left the room, heading towards the garage.

"That cube's kinda important," Logan said as they walked. "We found it in a plane wreckage that was carrying mutants to a safe-haven. Kind of an interesting gadget, but most of it I can't understand."

"But Professor Xavier hardly knows me." Lumina wondered. "Why on Earth would he give it to me?"

"Like he said, he wanted you to see it. He probably didn't mean for you to keep it." Logan replied. "Anyway, let's get out of here, we're running a little late." They went into the garage and loaded up in a car instead of the motorcycle. It was a cherry-red '67 Corvette, and Lumina almost squealed with delight when Logan revved the engine. He peeled out, and took off down the driveway, and headed back into town.


	4. Home Sweet Home

Chapter 4: Home Sweet Home

"Turn left up here!" Lumina yelled in Logan's ear as the sped down the busy street of Manhattan, weaving in and out of traffic. Lumina hated the way that Logan drove, and she her eyes shut in fear every time he passed another car. There were a couple of instances where he almost hit a pedestrian, the scariest being a little kid, but Logan didn't even appear to be the least bit shaken. They took a sharp turn down onto Main Street, heading towards Lumina's home. "Stop!" She yelled again. Logan brought the bike to a screeching halt into the nearest parking spot along the sidewalk. She felt like beating the crap out of him, but she settled with a little sizzle on his backside.

"Ah!" Logan yelped as he jumped out of his seat. "Ow! What was that for?!" He glared at her, trying to look menacing, only to fail when he saw her grinning uncontrollably.

"Something that should happen to you more often, apparently." She said as she walked away, laughing to herself. "Are you just gonna stand there? Come on, it's over this way; you past it, you were going so fast." He stalked after her, still a little angry. She led him into an apartment building after opening the door to the building with a key. The walls were cement, gray, and dull. There were only a few windows, throwing shadows across the already darkened lobby. He followed her to what looked like a maintenance elevator and they got in. Logan looked up to see that there was more light above him than there was in the lobby. She pushed the button to go to the top floor, and they ascended up towards the light.

The metal door made of what looked like chicken wire opened with a screech so loud that Logan winced in pain. Lumina didn't seem to notice. Inside, Logan looked around. The light inside was intense, permeating into his body, then letting him go. He felt calmness, peace. He didn't understand, and he couldn't see anything but the light.

"Logan!" Lumina suddenly appeared before his eyes as she snapped her fingers under his nose.

"Ugh…" Logan grabbed his head and fell to his knees, groaning in pain. He heard Lumina say something, but there was a ringing in his ears that was so painful, he felt he would collapse. He felt her grab him and lift him towards a yellow couch, but the feeling was far away, as if in another world. Then, he was in another world, one of darkness.

Lumina was in a panic. _Omigod…What the hell…_

"Logan! Logan!" She smacked him across the face again and again, desperate for him to regain conscience. "Come on!" His eyes fluttered open and closed, as if he were in a dream. Lumina felt a sudden rush of adrenaline flowing through her body, and the light poured from her every pore. Her hands on his shoulders glowed an eerie light, and suddenly Logan's body was glowing, too. His eyes flew open, and beams of light shot out and connected with her eyes. Their gazes locked together, and images, memories passed through the beams that connected their eyes like reflections. After what seemed like years, but in fact was only seconds, the connection was broken and the light, flooding the room only moments before, vanished into the darkness.

Logan slumped forward into her arms, muttering something under his breath. She was barely able to hold herself up, much less with his weight added to it, but she managed somehow. She shifted her weight so that he was sitting more on the couch, and less of his weight was on her. She was breathless from the strange contact. She'd never experienced anything of the sort before, and she suddenly knew this man far more intimately than she ever thought she would. It was definitely more than she wanted to know.

__

I know…what I have to do. She thought to herself. _I have to finish what I started…remember what Blaine said. _She laid Logan carefully back onto the couch and let him rest while she packed her things.

She looked back at the dark building that had been her home sweet home for so long. _Goodbye…_ Lumina thought as she started the engine of the motorcycle. Logan was partially awake by then, but he was too groggy to drive, especially the way he drove. The only thing she took with her was a back pack and a small suitcase. It was all she needed. She drove back towards the mansion, having already made her decision.

She went to see the professor after she had made sure the red-haired Jean Grey would take care of Logan. Jean was a little curious as to what happened, but Lumina promised to tell her later, though she realized she didn't have to tell her anything. _Dang telepaths._ She walked into Xavier's office with determination in her step.

"Professor, I want to apply for the membership, if the offer's still available." She announced as she walked through the double doors. Xavier grinned back at her, and she knew the answer. Lumina had found her new home.


	5. New Enemies, New Allies

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Chapter Five: New Enemies and Allies

Logan slowly opened his eyes, only to close again when his head started to pound. He groaned in protest of his pains, and he attempted once more to open his eyes. The pain left him as soon as he did so and he looked around to see where he was, the medical facility at the mansion. He got out of the bed and looked for his shoes and shirt, (he despised walking around half-naked when it was cold), which then proceeded to frustrate him because he couldn't find them. _Dammit._ He walked over to the intercom and tapped it on.

"Is someone out there?" He spoke into it. "I'm freezing in here!"

"Someone will be down in a minute." Came an unfamiliar male voice. Logan started to panic. He _thought_ he was at the mansion, but how did he know for sure? Crazy thoughts flashed through his mind of Lumina actually being a spy for Magneto and he'd been conned. The door swished open, and Logan whipped around to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Jean and a man he didn't recognize, a man with dark, ebony eyes. Logan had relaxed a little when he saw Jean give him a small grin, but he his instincts told him to keep his guard up. Something about this man was rubbing Logan the wrong way. The man tried to give him a friendly smile, but Logan just nodded.

"The name's Torrent," he extended a hand to Logan. "But everybody just calls me Tory." Logan looked at his hand for a second, then decided to shake the man's hand. (Actually, Jean had a little something to do with it, but we'll let Logan have his pride).

"Logan." He said curtly. "Nice to meet you." The words felt sour in his mouth. Logan didn't like the way the man was looking at him. Every part about him just seemed off. His first idea was that it was Mystique in disguise, but he decided that it couldn't be because Jean or the Prof would've detected it with their new security measures. The man started to walk towards Jean, and looked back at Logan. _FLASH!_ Logan took a step backward. Something had invaded his thoughts, and sure as hell Logan knew that it wasn't Jean. _I need to talk to Chuck…_

Lumina walked through the hallways of the gigantic mansion, admiring the artwork on the walls, and enjoying the musky smell that filled the air. She liked old buildings, and she had a feeling that she wouldn't really have a problem settling in here. She had told the professor that she wanted to find the room on her own, that it was part of the adventure of moving into a new place. He had smiled at her so kindly, she could hardly believe what he was capable of. She remembered the Cube that he had given her, and she wondered why he would entrust something that could reveal all of the secrets of the mutants to anyone who had it in their possession. She absent-mindedly turned down a darker hallway and ran into a solid something. 

"Oof!" Lumina exclaimed as she landed on the floor. A hand was suddenly thrust into her face, and she looked up at its owner.

"You look a little lost, " the young man stated. "Can I help you?" His southern accent was strong, and Lumina recognized him from breakfast. He had been introduced to her as Gambit. 

"Yeah, sorry, I…" She grabbed his hand and stood up. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No hard feelings, as long as you let me walk to your room, my lady." His half-smile was as sweet as could be. Lumina almost declined, but she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. _FLASH!_ She whirled around, looking to see if their was anyone behind her, but there was no one. She decided she wanted some company.

"I'd like that." She said quickly. "Let's go."

"You all right?" Gambit looked at her with his head cocked to one side. "Er…What was your name again?"

"Lumina, but just call me Lu…" She couldn't stop herself. She forgot that she didn't like to have people call her Lu anymore. _That was Blaine's name for me…_ Too late.

"Okay, Lu, what's your room number?" He held out his arm. _Maybe I'd be safer walking alone…_ She thought as she looked at his smile.

"Okay, Wheels, who is this guy?" Logan demanded just after he'd stormed into the Professor's private chambers.

"His name is Torrent…" Xavier replied.

"I know that already…That's not what I meant," Logan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Where's he from, Chuck, what's he doing here? There's something about him that just doesn't seem right."

"I know what you mean, Logan, but we have to give him a chance, just as we gave you a chance. Just as we're giving Lumina." Xavier folded his hands on the desk and looked at Logan with calm countenance. "I've seen into his mind, Logan, and he's dangerous."

"But?" 

"But, he would be only dangerous to us if we let him fall under the influence of Magneto."


	6. Nights Without Stars

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Chapter Six: Nights Without Stars

Lumina reached her new room. She looked at the door number, number seventy-seven. _My favorite number's seven…Ha ha, professor._ The door was a beautiful dark red, and the doorknob was an exquisite design, looping around and curling. She was almost afraid to touch it, for fear of ruining its perfection. It was the way almost everything at this mansion was, perfect. _Probably to make up for the imperfections…_

"You all right, sugar?" Gambit broke through her thoughts. She looked up at him, his dark hair surrounding his face and hiding his features. FLASH! Lumina gasped and stepped back in horror. "Lu?" Gambit advanced, trying to get a hold of her arm to support her. She was as pale as a ghost and was about to collapse.

"No…" Was the last word uttered before she fell limp into Gambit's arms.

"Looks like I get to tuck you in after all, sugar." He muttered as he searched her clothes for the key.

Everything was a blur, objects flying by her small body. She looked over at her parents' bodies, hoping against hope that they were still alive. That hope was dashed when she saw the dark red pool forming around their heads. She let out a small cry, and the darkness was almost immediately around her. There was no light, no hope. She heard him laugh, it was an evil, cruel laugh, that echoed around her and got louder and louder.

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" She screamed at the noise. Suddenly there was light spreading through the darkness, making it run and hide and dissipate when it was touched the black. She looked up, and the light poured from her eyes, and radiated from her body. She couldn't understand what was happening, but she was just happy there was light again. She saw the man who made it dark, the man who had murdered her parents. His eyes were black, like a night without stars, and they had an evil glint in them that scared her. She felt his icy fingers probing her mind, searching for something. She tried to shut him out, but she couldn't, she was too weak…She grabbed her head in pain and tried to squirm away from him, away from the mind probe…

"Lumina! Lumina, wake up!" A gruff voice woke her from her terrible dream. She opened her eyes and the pain was gone, and she felt relief wash over her when she realized that she was safe at the mansion. She rolled over to see who had waken her, and she discovered it was Logan, who looked very tired and tousled, his hair was even more out of control than before. He had his hand on her arm which he soon pulled away when he remembered that it was there. "You were having a nightmare." He said simply.

"What are you doing here?" She looked around. "Am I in my room?" She looked down and realized that she wasn't wearing what she was last night. She sighed heavily and realized that someone had had to change her clothes. _Blast you, Gambit…_ She sighed heavily.

"Well, to answer your first question, I was a little worried when Gambit came and told Charles that you had collapsed, and well, some weird things were happening last night, and I suggested that you should have someone watching over you."

"So the prof picked you, huh?" She asked with a quirky smile. "Or did you volunteer?" The look on his face told Lumina what she wanted to know. "Aww, Logan, that's soo sweet of you…" She said in her best imitation of a school girl. He growled a little at this, and she just grinned widely at him, making him even more agitated.

"Well, I didn't want that blockhead Gambit handling it." He gestured towards her pajamas. "So what was your dream about?" He decided to change the subject.

"Well, when my parents were killed, I was about four, almost five years old." She said. "They were killed by mutant who could control darkness, kind of the opposite of what I do. The only thing I really remember was…"

"Your parents lying dead on the floor in a pool of blood, and the black eyes of the murderer." Logan said with certainty. He looked just as surprised as Lumina did at his own words.

"How did you know that?" She said, more sharply than she meant to.

"I don't know…But there's someone here now with black eyes that's about your age, and he gives me the creeps." Logan shook his head. "But I don't know why, he just doesn't…"

"Feel right." Lumina said.

"Yeah…" Logan looked at her sort of suspiciously. "Ever since I met this guy, there have been weird instances where all of the sudden there's this flash of light that rips through me, and…"

"It's only there for a second, but it's like a premonition." Lumina sat up and looked at Logan with her head cocked to one side. "But, I've been able to have those premonitions since the attack, and…You…"

"I don't understand it either, kid, but it might have something to do with the night we went to your house." Someone knocked on her door.

"Come in." Lumina called as she pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It was Jean, holding two trays of food by way of telekinesis. 

"I thought you two would want some breakfast, since you didn't show up this morning." She nodded towards the clock, and they finally realized it was 12:30 in the afternoon.

"Have I missed my training? Cyke'd kill me if he thought I was playing hooky again…" Logan didn't actually appear worried, he just would be upset that he'd missed his daily exercise.

"It was pushed back to this evening because of the weird problems we're having with the computers." Jean said. "Anyway, Logan, Professor Xavier wants to see you in his office, and Lumina?" The girl looked up from her food. "I want you to meet someone."

Lumina followed Jean down to the infirmary. "So who is it, Jean…Some really cute guy, or some person you think I can help?"

"A little of both actually." Jean answered cryptically. They arrived at the door to the center, and Jean opened it using a password on the keypad next to it. Lumina walked in first, and was shocked at who she found. She took a step backwards and tripped over the leg of a table and fell backwards. The young man with black hair rushed over and tried to help her up, but crawled away from him, avoiding his grasp.

"Stay away from me." She said threateningly.

"Lumina?" Jean got behind her and helped her to her feet. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, are you okay?" The darkly handsome young man asked. His voice was kind and had an elegant English accent, but his eyes… "My name's Torrent, but you can call me Tory." He held out his hand. Lumina stared at it, and finally decided that since Jean was right behind her it was safe. They shook hands, and the moment they touched, there was an icy electricity that flowed between their grips. Tory pulled his hand back, just as Lumina did. He appeared just as confused as Lumina was. This guy looked almost exactly like…_No…He couldn't be…He's NICE…_

"Yeah, I'm fine…Sorry, I just…" She looked up at him. His eyes were so black they seemed like bottomless pits, and you couldn't see his pupils unless there was a direct light on his eyes. "I thought you were someone else."

"You mean my father?" Tory said knowingly. Lumina was taken aback. "Everyone says I look just like him…He wasn't a very good person. He did some pretty awful things. He was kinda cruel…I'm sorry if he did something to you." Lumina wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, but he looked to young to be the older man that had killed her parents. She decided to trust him, for now. "What's your name?" He asked politely.

"Lumina. Nice to meet you, Tory." Lumina tried to stop herself from asking, but she couldn't. "What happened to your father?" There was a little bit more of an edge in her voice than she had intended to use.

"He passed away about…ten years ago now…He had been convicted of murder here in the US was sentenced to life in prison…My mom passed away soon after that, and I came to America to escape from England's laws against mutants. I found out about this sanctuary and came here two days ago." His demeanor told Lumina that he was telling the truth, and his eyes…they still bothered her. "I've been told that you command light. That's a pretty intense power."

"Yeah, I guess so." She didn't mean to sound so off-handed. "What's your power?"

"Well, I inherited it from my dad, unfortunately." He shook his head. "I control the dark."


End file.
